Streetcars smart way to sustainable communities

Seven design strategies

Marci Gilbert, Feb 16, 11.

At the National Building Museum, Patrick Condon, ASLA, a professor of landscape architecture at the University of British Columbia, gave a run-through of his new book, “Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities,” which argues that bringing streetcars back is the smartest thing cities can do become more sustainable, according to a story in The Dirt.

For older cities, unearthing “barely submerged” streetcar networks may be easy, but relatively new communities can also invest in laying streetcar infrastructure at a cost significantly less than subways or light rail. To get to a 90 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), transportation emissions must be zero. Making communities walkable and bikeable are crucial, and electric vehicles will also help, but 40-50 percent of the U.S. urban fabric is already set-up for the “Streetcar City” so it’s just a matter of investing again in an old model that worked well, according to Condon.

The Seven Rules include:

1. Restore the Streetcar City
2. Design an Interconnected Street System
3. Locate Commercial Services, Frequent Transit, and Schools Within a Five Minute Walk
4. Locate Good Jobs Close to Affordable Housing
5. Provide a Diversity of Housing Types
6. Create a Linked System of Natural Green Spaces
7. Invest in Lighter, Greener, Cheaper, and Smarter Infrastructure

For more detail about his seven rules as reported by The Dirt, see full story.

Source: The Dirt